What is the purpose of this initiative and who is involved?

This initiative is a collaborative effort between members of the exhibitions and meetings industry to establish a national convention center security standard. This benchmark for security will not only help convention centers continue to operate with security as a top priority, but it will give show organizers and meeting planners more line of sight into venue options that best align with the needs of their events and meetings.

Why is this initiative needed?

Members of the exhibitions and meetings industry employ a variety of measures to provide safety and security to all event attendees. With this initiative, these parties can align their best practices to establish a national standard for convention centers of all sizes as a united effort to further mitigate risks through safety, security and preparedness measures.

By examining the individual best practice measures presently employed by members of our industry around the country, together with expertise and guidance from accredited third party resources, this initiative will produce a comprehensive benchmark for security that also aligns with the Department of Homeland Security’s SAFETY Act.

Current measures employed around the industry include security meetings before events, alignment with OSHA guidelines, preparedness trainings and hiring third party security services.

Why now?

The individual security efforts currently employed around the country have supported exhibitions and meetings for years, however our industry is always focused on improvement and preparedness, which is why we strongly believe our next step as an industry is to outline a national standard.